some like it wicked by stacey kennedy

Title: Some Like It Wicked
Author: Stacey Kennedy
Rating: 4/5
Cover rating: 4/5
Pages: 80 (pdf)
Publisher: Ellora’s Cave (Twilight)
ISBN: 9781419942235
Length: Novella
Heat Level: Sizzling
Release date: March 1, 2013

Book Description:
Bryanna is far from the perfect witch. Shunned by her coven and her boyfriend for her unruly magic, she seeks a new life for herself in a new town—Charmstone. When Bryanna arrives in Charmstone, Zeke, a demon gone good, is burning with fire over her. Not only has she set his world ablaze, but he’s found one soul he can save. He’s determined to free her from the insecurities that have damaged her soul. Together they experience lava-hot passion as they weave their way through a tornado of emotions. But when Bryanna’s ex returns for her, Zeke will need to take a stand and hope that their lust leads to a forever love.

My Say:
It was as it says, sizzling hot! The storyline is good, and everything was easily indulged. I was totally drawn by it. Maybe I was so into the romance and I could feel the heat, it was intense! I cant imagine the attraction between Zeke and Bryanna. They are so sweet and they are seems like meant to each other. The connection also look real and the chemistry was there.

My review was quite amatur. This is my first time reviewing an erotic. But anyone who loves romance, hot-blazing coupling, this is one of the story you would like to read. Since it's a novella, you could finish it in one sitting.

Publisher’s Note: This story was previously published elsewhere under the title Whatnots & Doodads in 2011, and has been revised and expanded for Ellora’s Cave.

About the Author

Stacey Kennedy writes romance that sometimes gets very naughty. She’s an urban fantasy lover at heart, but she also enjoys losing herself in dark and sensual worlds. She lives in Southwestern Ontario with her husband who gave her a happily ever after. Together, they have two small children who can always make her smile, and who will never be allowed to read mommy’s books. If she’s not plugging away at a new story, you’ll find her camping, curling up with the latest flick, or obsessing over Sons of Anarchy and Games of Thrones.

Website – http://www.staceykennedy.com/

Blog – http://www.staceykennedy.com/blog

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/AuthorStaceyKennedy

Facebook Fan Page – www.facebook.com/StaceyKennedyFanPage

Twitter – https://twitter.com/#!/Stacey_Kennedy

Goodreads – http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3473046.Stacey_Kennedy

Amazon Author Page – http://www.amazon.com/Stacey-Kennedy/e/B004G9KR9A/

three sisters by helen smith

Title: Three Sisters
Author: Helen Smith
Pages: 54 (pdf)
Series: The Emily Castles Mystery #1
Published: February 2, 201
Rating: 3.5/5
Source: Provided by the author
Get your copy: Amazon

Summary (Goodreads):

It's bonfire night in London. Emily has been invited to a party in the big house at the end of her street by the new owners, whom she has never met. Emily's dog Jessie has recently died so Emily is feeling a little raw and emtional. How could she know, as she left her house that evening, that she was making an appointment with death?

My Two Cents:

Even though the first book of the series is quite short, the story begin quite fast right from the start. When her dog died, she was very sad and decided to go to a party but it turned out so chaotic when there was a murder. She took part in it to solve the mystery, and she was reminded by her dog, which it kind of helping her to solve the mystery. The story is cute yet very interesting with twist and turns. While the author created some of the characters to be dolled up, refusing to talk about the mystery until it was over. I really enjoy reading the the novella and would be happy to recommend to all cozy mystery fans.

p/s: this is my first time to read a cozy mystery, it's totally fun and suitable to youngsters. =)

About the Author:

Helen Smith is a member of the Society of Authors and the Writers Guild. She travelled the world when her daughter was small, doing all sorts of strange jobs to support them both - from cleaning motels to working as a magician's assistant - before returning to live in London where she wrote her first novel which was published by Gollancz in 1999. She writes novels, poetry, plays and screenplays and is the recipient of an Arts Council of England Award. She's a long-term supporter of the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture and mentors members of an exiled writers group to help them tell their stories.

Visit her at: Website | Blog

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from Author Helen Smith for an exchange of fair review. Receiving a copy in no way will ever reflected my review and these are my honest review.

looking for ward by laurel osterkamp

Title: Looking For Ward
Author: Laurel Osterkamp
Pages: 80 (pdf)
Series: Novella
Published: August 22nd, 2008
Rating: 3.5/5
Source: Author

Summary (Goodreads):

What if your love disappeared and your loyalties changed? Would you change your life, or would it change you? In Looking For Ward a bride-to-be confronts these questions as she faces the ultimate threat to her wedding plans. Meet Chloe Langley, a wannabe jewelry designer and spoiled Daddy’s girl. Chloe is used to getting what she wants, and for months she’s been planning the dream wedding for herself and her finance, Ward. Then, thirty days before their wedding day, Ward disappears, leaving only an e-mail, instructing her not to look for him. In the month leading up to her wedding, Chloe must decide if and how she should find Ward, whom to trust, when to let go, and what to do about their wedding plans. The story is told through a series of e-mails between Chloe, her best-friend Bethany, and Ward’s best man Owen. As the month goes on and the wedding date gets closer, secrets come out that change the lives of everyone involved. In the process Chloe discovers the true meaning of love and loyalty, and finds that she’s capable of more than she ever thought possible. Looking For Ward is a wonderful story about what it means to believe in love, and to believe in yourself.

My Two Cents:

The novella was a fun read, as I feel like a total bad person, reading other people's emails. The email format writing style and a little bit narrative part from the characters really work. It started when Ward suddenly disappeared and left Chloe with full of questions when the wedding is in a month. I felt awful and sorry for her. Her best friends Bethany is likeable, she gave Chloe obvious advices and very rational to reasons why was Ward chicken out and make fool of Chloe like that. There was a conflict involved and despite of that, other truth about lost feelings and to come clean about it. I found the book very clever even though the cheesiness of it was there. A relationship that start with a lie will never work, same goes here in the story. Even when you love your lover very much, you will find it very difficult to give another chance to start over when you found out he's lying about himself and you don't even think you know him at all. This is the feeling that I got when I read the novella. I love Chloe, she's strong, sometime freaking out but that is fine, and brave enough to make a wise decision even though she's broken hearted in the end. I felt sorry for Ward, even though he loves Chloe, he don't love her enough to trust her to share his darkest secret, it brings frustration to Chloe because he lets his problem dragged until they are about to get married. Owen on the other hand wins all, well, he deserves it even though he kept his love to himself for years. All in all, the novella is fun, page turner and I really feel connected with the characters nevertheless of it was written in emails format. Read it and you'll find it okay.

About the Author

Laurel Osterkamp originally wrote this 22,000-word novella for fans of her chick-lit novel, Following My Toes. Those readers received a new installment of the story by e-mail each day during the month of March 2007. Now this 2008 Kindle edition offers Looking For Ward to the general public. Laurel Osterkamp has been a comedy writer for Minneapolis performance groups over the last seven years. She currently teaches creative writing to high school students, and lives in Minneapolis with her husband and son. Download here.

once a princess by johanna lindsey

Title: Once A Princess
Author: Johanna Lindsey

Pages: 432
Series: Cardinia's Royal Family #1
Published: September, 2010
Rating: 3/5
Source: Own
Get your copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Summary (Goodreads):

A bold and brazen prince came to America to claim his promised bride. But the spirited vixen spurned his affections while inflaming his royal blood with passion's fire, impelling virile Stefan Barany to take in sensuous and searing conquest the love Tatiana vowed never to yield. Born a princess in a politically unstable eastern Europe, Tatiana is wisked away to America for her own safety, where years later, the prince to whom she was betrothed as a babe finds her working as a servant in a Mississippi tavern.

My Two Cents:

A story of Tanya, a girl who never knows that she's a princess or her true name, Tatiana until a barbaric guy came to rescue her from an abusive tavern-owner, whom she believed her father and her family. As the King Sandor's men came to take Tanya, is finally able to gain control of her life where she was barely better than a slave will soon be hers. Tanya learned that she is betrothed to the King's son, Vasili as told by Stefan without knowing that Stefan is actually the king's son. He has no desire to marry a woman he never met or even worse, a beautiful woman. Unlike most heroes we met, Stefan's face is disfigured, scarred physically and emotionally, but still, I think he's handsome even though with scars. The story mostly took place with their journey to Europe and it's really not that all interesting when they mostly quarrel and having lots of misunderstandings, sometime with annoying conversations. The misunderstandings were quite dragging too. Although I have to admit that I like Tanya's attitude; witty, brave and strong, and independent, as well as Stefan's character; quite okay but sometimes I can't figure him and lost. The book actually has a very good storyline, but I found it lost its spiciness, and the ending was wrapped up too quickly. I feel no empathy and affection towards this book. I loved Johanna Lindsey's other books, but this one did just okay for me.

scrawl by mark shulman

Title: Scrawl
Author: Mark Shulman
Series: Stand alone

Pages: 140
Published: September, 2010
Rating: 4.5/5
Source: From author
Get your copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Summary (Goodreads):

Tod Munn is a bully. He's tough, but times are even tougher. The wimps have stopped coughing up their lunch money. The administration is cracking down. Then to make things worse, Tod and his friends get busted doing something bad. Something really bad. Lucky Tod must spend his daily detention in a hot, empty room with Mrs. Woodrow, a no-nonsense guidance counselor. He doesn't know why he's there, but she does. Tod's punishment: to scrawl his story in a beat-up notebook. He can be painfully funny and he can be brutally honest. But can Mrs. Woodrow help Tod stop playing the bad guy before he actually turns into one . . . for real? Read Tod's notebook for yourself.

My Two Cents:

So I read Tod's notebook myself, it's a-ma-zing! It's interesting and very intelligent. It might a story of a bully kid which at first I have nothing high to expect from it. I believe I was drawn and eager to read it because I think it's different and I never read anything from a bully perspective before. So, it's great that I did.

This story is not like other young adult story. Tod opened himself in the journal, instead of other people. He's funny and sometimes I grinned, or smiling when I read his writing in the journal. He's so easy to relate to and he brings out the real kid problems that sometimes we don't understand why they did wrong. Maybe for attentions or maybe just friends influences, or it might it's the kid really a trouble maker. Reading his daily journal, I think Tod never realize how much he has progress, but I think I do and hoping that he'll change to be better although I think we all know how difficult a kid bully to change. I personally don't like a bully but I can't to not like Tod. He has so many flaws to be hate, but as I go through reading it, it tells us to hope for Tod to be a better kid because I think he is clearly a smart kid.

The author creates such a unique character and it's obviously difficult to voice out what a bully would say and be, but he did it excellently. I find the writing style is very easy in journal format as well as it's a page turner that you'll keep reading till you know what's the ending. And not to forget the book cover, I love it! It tells a lot with only on a simple sheet of cover, don't you think?

The story is simply amazing and suitable for all age levels. I think young boys would love this as well as older readers, parents and teachers.

About the Author:

Mark Shulman has been a camp counselor, a radio announcer, a maitre d' in a fancy restaurant, a New York City tour guide, and a creative advertising guy. He's written many books about many things--sharks, storms, robots, palindromes, gorillas, dodo birds, Star Wars, Ben Franklin, how to hide stuff, how to voodoo your enemies, and how to make a video from start to finish. He's written picture books for Oscar de la Hoya (the boxer) and Shamu (the whale). Mark is from Rochester and Buffalo, New York, but he has lived in New York City for so very long that he tawks like he's from da Bronx. So do his kids. His wife Kara, a grade school reading specialist, has perfect diction.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from Author Mark Shulman for an exchange of fair review. Receiving a copy in no way will ever reflected my review and these are my honest review.

any witch way by annastaysia savage

Title: Any Witch Way
Author: Annastaysia Savage
Pages: 185
Series: Stand alone
Published: April 8th, 2011
Rating: 4/5
Source: Publisher

Summary (Goodreads):

Enduring the teasing and ridicule of her school mates, Sadie struggles through life as a pre-teen on the eve of her 13th birthday. Three years ago, a car crash took her mother, but Sadie never saw her body. She refuses to believe her mother is really gone. Holding fast to that feeling earns her the nickname "Crazy Sadie." Despite her one wish to be normal, Sadie only finds solace with a small group of unusual characters. These unlikely friends give her a “semi-normal” life outside of school in a bookstore where strange and mystical things seem to happen. In fact, if Sadie entertains her deepest suspicions, her friends are a little mystical.

When her birthday arrives however, Sadie finds herself whisked into a magical world that swirls just under the surface of normal, everyday life. Not only does she learn she’ll soon become a witch, but she also discovers she must battle The Syndicate to save her new world. Faced with fantastical encounters, unexplainable transformations, and startling fears, Sadie struggles against an unknown evil – all while searching for her real identity.

My Two Cents:

A cool book for a younger reader as the story is about a young witch, Sadie. What I loved about the story is it's sweet, very entertaining with all the adventure of Sadie to find herself and learned how to adapt with her new life as a witch.

All the characters in the story are great since they're magical creatures involved, other witches, talking cat which made the story more fascinating. The story has a fast pace from the start, and quite captivating toward the ending. I love the author creating a great setting for a modern fantasy story of a young witch. Other than that, what I loved most is there's a lot of good sides of something good to learn for teens as it's a mixed of how to blend in, fitting in, confident in who you are, and accept ourselves as who we really are. Sadie's lost of her mother and being undergoing foster care system, being teased was not a great experienced, but when she found out her life has some great purpose, her confidence grew.

The writing is easy to understand, so I think younger tween would love to read this. There's some cool illustration in the book, which is very good to imagine what's Sadie's experiencing. Sadie's character is easy to connect to, and I think she is quite fun. Although this is only a story of a girl in a transition to be a witch, I think it has in-depth storyline and very entertaining. Young adult of fantasy readers would enjoy to read this.

About the Author

Annastaysia Savage is both a writer and artist. She earned her BFA in Fine Art, with honors, from Arizona State University. She is one residency shy of a MA in creative writing from Wilkes University and is currently pursuing an MFA in sculpture and jewelry design from The Academy of Art University. Both writing and art have always been in her life, beginning at age 5 with her fist publication of a short poem and her first art exhibition entry that took first place. She has several short stories published in the last few years, her most recent a flash fiction horror piece for children and young adults in Crow’s Nest Magazine called “Grimalkins” and a short story in the anthology: JournalStone’s 2010 Warped Words for Twisted Minds.

the lion's deceit by mpho otukile

Title: The Lion's Deceit
Author: Mpho Otukile

Illustrator: S.B. Bow
Pages: 16
Rating: 5/5
Recommended Age: 3-5

Source: Won from LibraryThing

Summary:

The Lion's Deceit is about a lazy lion who goes against his real nature by tricking other animals so he can get some food without hunting. Will the lion get away with his plot?

My Two Cents:

My little cousins (Azim and Aqil) and I love it! I read it last night with them for bedtime stories. Funny thing was, I don't think my mom ever read about animals to me when I was little. What I ever remember is Cinderella and few other princesses and fairy tales. Since my two cousins are boys, this book is perfect for them. It's a great story with a valuable lesson for children to put some efforts to gain something we want to the children. The lion's action to lie his sickness to the rest of the animals in the jungle so that he can get his prey for food regularly. This is totally not a lion's nature as he should hunt and as a result it was ultimately discovered by other animals.

With beautiful colours and fine illustrations, this book is totally enlightening and very entertaining to be shared with little kids as well as adults and parents. Kids will enjoy reading and learn a great thing of putting effort and know that every actions we take will lead to different consequences.

Some illustrations from the book;

About the Author

Mpho Otukile comes from Botswana, in the Southern part of Africa where she grew up listening to stories told by the village elders at night while sitting around an open fire. As much as she was entertained, these stories also instilled some moral lessons about life. The author now lives in Winnipeg, Canada and is writing these stories to pass them to her daughter and other children.

For more info, visit http://www.villagelifebooks.com